The nature of the Democratic PartyTo determine what the Democratic Party stands for, one must ascertain what it opposes. The father of the Democratic Party was the anti-Federalist and Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson. His most noted adversary was the father of the Republican Party, Federalist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was whole-heartedly pro business and big government. His political planks included a national bank, high tariff and internal improvements at national go...

You’re in big trouble, Espn Turbo SmithIt took me days to name my children. People would harass me in the hospital, noting I would not be allowed to leave until the Social Security forms were completed with the baby’s full name entered in the appropriate spaces. However, I took the naming part of my job as a new parent very seriously. I refused to be bullied into making the wrong decision. In the hospital nurseries, my boys were easy to find. Their bassinets were labeled “Baby Boy,...

What we can learn from the DuggarsWho would have thought that a TV show about a guy named “Jim Bob” with 19 kids would make Arkansas look good? But that’s been the case with “19 Kids and Counting,” the TLC show about the daily lives of the Duggars of Springdale: Jim Bob, Michelle, Josh, Jana, and 17 other “J’s,” plus Josh’s wife Anna and their three children. This is not the modern day version of “The Beverly Hillbillies.” The family was prosperous before it got its own show a...

Highway 101 is that good and moreDuring the recent Highway 101 performance at the Ozark Folk Center at Mountain View, I whispered to my wife what may well have been the understatement of the decade. Folks, I’ve been privileged to have covered more concerts this summer than I can remember in a relatively short time. Most were good. A few I would call “great.” Maybe one or two I would call “mediocre.” That gets me to Highway 101, and while I’ve been a writer for more years than...

Opener with Ragin’ Cajuns no lock for RazorbacksLITTLE ROCK — Less than a week from Arkansas’ opener, there is a question mark involved for the first time in 11 years. Who wins? The Razorbacks were the clear choice vs. Tulsa, New Mexico State, Missouri State, Troy, Western Illinois, Tennessee Tech, and Jacksonville State. Picking USC over Arkansas in 2006 was equally easy. The Trojans had routed Arkansas in Los Angeles the previous year, knocking out 246 yards on their first eight plays and...

Pies for pavementFood says a lot about who we are and where we’ve been. And if you’re a regular reader of this column, you know I often talk about how stories are passed down in families and communities. In many ways food and stories are inseparable. And in this region marked by the foothills of the Ozarks, the edges of the Ouachita Mountains, and the banks in the River Valley, we really like to make pies. And these pies don’t come out of nowhere. They’re ofte...

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Meredith Martin-MoatsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Bookout’s resignation a stunning fallLITTLE ROCK — Paul Bookout’s resignation from the state Senate over a panel’s ruling that he used campaign funds to purchase personal items marks a stunning fall for a lawmaker who had promised to follow his late father’s example by working with both parties. It also creates a renewed focus on campaign finance and ethics issues that could pose problems for both Democrats and Republicans as they gear up for next year’s election. Bookout resigne...

Human trafficking draws tough stanceLITTLE ROCK — Thirty-nine states, including Arkansas, passed legislation against human trafficking this year. The legislation cleared both houses of the Arkansas Legislature unanimously — an indication of the universal urgency to find solutions. Even more notable at home is the toughness of Arkansas’s law. With its enactment of our new law, Arkansas strengthened its stance against human trafficking more than any other state, according to the W...

Lunch with Senator BoozmanIt’s the noon hour on a Thursday, and Sen. John Boozman, R.-Ark., arrives for an interview at a downtown Little Rock restaurant. He takes a look at the offerings on a chalkboard menu and orders a grilled cheese. The interview lasts an hour and is based on a tough premise: Things look bad. The country is sinking ever deeper in debt at the same time that Congress and the White House have become incapable of addressing problems. Must the country ...

Seeing God’s unconditional loveTo use the phrase: “God’s unconditional love,” is to utter a wonderful fact about God’s nature. He loves because He chooses to love and for no other reason. His love is not dependent upon finding something in us that merits His love. His love is without conditions — it is unconditional. It says in 1 John 4:10 that “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God’s love was...

Dishonor or adorn, it’s your choiceThe book of Titus is about leadership and it’s about education. It also gives some insight into the importance of the family. Titus 2 points out the importance of our behavior to how the gospel message is received. It is likely that we Christians will have to bear some of the blame for unbelievers rejecting the gospel message. In the midst of the discipleship instructions given in Titus 2, this passage states in two places that the world’s per...

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Pastor Steve EllisonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Flocabulary responseWhat I am going to share in this column can best be described as “the big city has come to the country, and at least some in the country don’t like it.” And I might say up front, that I am one of them. A few weeks ago I got an email from Jason Gilmore, senior auditor of the Defense Contract Audit Agency branch office in Fort Walton Beach. This is a branch of the federal government, and I am sure what he had to say was troubling. First, please ...

Good thing husband can cook — I can’tMy husband does most of the cooking around my house. He is a better cook than me. Sure, I have a few recipes that are absolutely delicious that I can make with my eyes closed. I am a hit at potlucks. However, for the day-to-day meal planning, I am lost. Being able to plan and shop for meals for a whole week at a time is not a skill I possess. How on earth am I supposed to know on Sunday what sounds good for dinner Tuesday? Thankfully, I don’t ...

Senator points to law as root of problemsState Sen. David Sanders, R-Little Rock, took umbrage at one quotation in last week’s column about problems in Arkansas’ parole system. Sanders, a former Arkansas News Bureau columnist, has been the legislative point person in investigating those problems. The quotation was from then-Sen. Jim Luker, D-Wynne, who at a 2009 legislative hearing on other problems related to the state Department of Correction said that lawmakers “need to do a littl...

Bielema easily gives as good as he gets in jestLITTLE ROCK — Assured by Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long that Bret Bielema has a sense of humor, Rex Nelson shared a so-called apology letter from former Ohio State University President Gordon Gee with an overflow crowd at the first Little Rock Touchdown Club meeting of the 2013 season. If Gee had blasted Bobby Petrino like he did Bret Bielema, Nelson would never have considered the prop with the Razorback coach two seats away. Bielema w...

Consider the nature of newsWhat is news? It’s a question I’ve pondered often in my work as a community journalist. I’ve fought with higher-ups who wanted to write a story I didn’t feel was worth the time it’d take to write it, and I’ve fought with them to publish a story I felt was important. I’ll admit that I’ve scoffed at other news outlets who ran what I considered to be non-stories. All this is to say there are differing opinions on what news is, exactly. I think, t...

Bookout marks 3rd high-profile scandalThe Arkansas Ethics Commission announced a much-anticipated $8,000 penalty on Friday against state Sen. Paul Bookout, based on its investigation of his campaign finances. The fine — the biggest ever assessed by the commission — wasn’t as shocking as the glaringly personal nature in which the Jonesboro senator spent thousands of dollars in campaign funds. His case marks the third time in a year Arkansas Democrats in elective offices have been e...

Corporate greed is making us sickThe failure of our corporate and political leaders to make sure every worker gets good health care is causing some unpleasant consequences — like widespread stomach flu. Ill workers often spread illness, because millions of employees who deal directly with the public are not covered by paid sick leave policies. So, when they come down with something like the stomach flu, they tend to drag themselves to work, rather than going to bed until they...

Presidential vacation: Naughty or necessity?Well, it’s that traditional time of the year again when the president goes on vacation and the conservative world ridicules him for taking time off with his family because of the disarray of our country or the enormousness of expenditures in his doing so. But is there really nothing redeemable or commendable in a father and husband’s spending extended time with his family away from home and office, even when it’s the Oval Office? Don’t misunde...

Bowl shortage likely in SECLITTLE ROCK — Penciling in teams from the Southeastern Conference, bowl games in Birmingham and Shreveport best have an eraser. Under the SEC’s recently announced bowl agreements, the Birmingham Bowl and the Advocare V100 Bowl will be fortunate if there are any bowl-eligible SEC teams to pick from when it comes their turn. Just for grins, let’s use the 2012 SEC standings and apply the bowl structure that goes into effect in 2014, including the...